This invention relates generally to the removal of coatings from an imaging member such as a photoreceptor, and more particularly to a method for stripping layered materials from a photoreceptor using the technique of magnaforming, which refers to the generation of a magnetic field to shape an article.
Magnaforming is illustrated for example in Harvey et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,976,907, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated by reference. This patent discloses methods to expand or to decrease the size of metal tubes using a magnetic field. Magnaforming requires an apparatus for setting up a predetermined varying magnetic field. When a conductive member ("conductor") is placed in a varying magnetic field, a current is induced in the conductor. The interaction between this current and the magnetic field will then subject the conductor to a force. If the conductor is constrained and if a sufficient amount of energy is acquired by the conductor, the conductor will be deformed. The work performed on, or the energy acquired by the conductor depends upon the position of the conductor relative to the magnetic field, the strength of the magnetic field, the current induced in the conductor, the mass of the conductor, internal forces within the conductor, and the frequency of variations in the magnetic field. Accordingly, a high instantaneous pressure may be applied to the conductor by utilizing a current pulse to set up the magnetic field.
Presently, photoreceptors, especially layered photoreceptors of the type illustrated in Stolka et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,265,990, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated by reference, are salvaged for reuse by, for example, heat stripping, lathing, and solvent stripping to remove the photosensitive layer(s), blocking layer, adhesive layer, and any other layers typically employed in a photoreceptor from the substrate. These removal processes are labor intensive, require an inordinate amount of manufacturing space, require physical contact with the photoreceptor which may damage it, and contribute to pollution of the environment.
There is a need for a method that facilitates removal of the layered material from a substrate which reduces the need for physical contact with the photoreceptor, which reduces pollution, which reduces the area dedicated to photoreceptor salvage, and which is faster and relatively less costly to implement than conventional removal methods.